Industrial piping, for example large fluid transporting pipes found in nuclear power plants or steam generated plants, are typically insulated. There are a number of different types of insulation, each of which finds acceptable application in specific environments. It so happens that, in certain circumstances, segments of the piping must be walked on by maintenance and inspection personnel. The foot traffic so generated, especially over long periods of time, can have a damaging effect on the insulation. A solution to insulation damage in some industry environments has been the insulating of pipes utilizing rigid insulation such as insulation made of calcium-silicate, especially in areas where foot traffic is expected. In other environments all-metal insulation is utilized. Although in practice, the metal insulation still compresses under foot traffic, the solution in such an environment was to weld an additional metal plate on top of the metal insulation to give extra strength to the traffic area.
Unfortunately, the above mentioned calcium-silicate insulation and all-metal insulation do not find universal application in industry. In many environments and applications, it remains appropriate and desirable to utilize fibrous, mass pipe insulation. One example of an environment in which fibrous insulation is desirable is the environment of a nuclear containment area. The nuclear containment area of a nuclear power plant is "a different world" strictly defined by rules and regulations. Attention is directed to U.S. Pat. No. 4,009,735 to Gordon Pinsky which speaks of insulation needs within a nuclear environment and discloses one type of insulation finding acceptance for use in the nuclear containment area. In certain applications of the Pinsky insulation the fibrous, glass encapsulated mass insulation is encircled by a removable metal jacket (or lagging). Although this jacket is typically made of metal, it is not sufficiently rigid to withstand long periods of foot traffic and, thus, extended foot traffic can create permanent damage to the underlying fibrous insulation. In other applications, the fibrous insulation is not jacketed and the only way to protect such insulation from foot traffic in the prior art appears to be removal of the insulation from the piping.